Tropical Storm Beryl hit the US state of Texas on Monday, killing at least four people and causing major flooding.
The storm was downgraded from hurricane status by the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) after it made landfall near the coastal Texas town of Matagorda. It was later downgraded to a tropical depression, and expected to weaken further.
Despite the downgrade, the NHC said that conditions caused by Beryl could create tornadoes in Texas, as well as in the neighboring states of Louisiana and Arkansas.
A 53-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman were killed in separate incidents after trees fell on their homes in the Houston area.
A third person, a civilian employee of the Houston Police Department, drowned after being trapped by floodwaters under a highway overpass, according to local officials. Another person died in a fire possibly sparked by lightning.
The storm caused power to be cut for 2.5 million homes and businesses in the area around Houston, which is Texas' most populous city.
Today, USCG Air Station Corpus Christi conducted an overflight along the Texas coast to assess damage from #Beryl, which caused significant damage and flooding. USCG is ready to assist those in need and working to restore critical flow of commerce in affected waterways/ports. pic.twitter.com/HmX1M1APvU
